RIM is set to finally put the finishing touches to its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – four months after they released it.
Launched as a not-quite-iPad competitor, the PlayBook is a 7″ tablet running the Canadian firm’s new QNX operating system. QNX is, in fact, so new that it didn’t have an email client at launch. Or RIM’s unique selling point, BBM. That could all be about to change, as RIM begins to finally fix some, if not all, of the PlayBook’s issues…
In a post on TechCrunch, Matt Burns claims that RIM is all set to add both an email client as well as BBM to its PlayBook tablet some time next month, in a move that RIM will no doubt hope will help push its tablet sales up a notch.
“The BlackBerry PlayBook is impressive upon first look. You pick it up, quickly scroll through the apps, and jump online. It all works like it’s supposed to. But then you find out it can’t hook up to your email; a BlackBerry needs to be connected through the BlackBerry Bridge. This connection also enables BBM, calendar and an address book, but an update due next month will finally bake several key features into the PlayBook.”
RIM is also reported to be adding the ability to run Android apps to the PlayBook, in a move which smacks somewhat of desperation. Whether email and android apps is enough to make punters stump up for a BlackBerry branded tablet remains to be seen, but as things stand, many can’t see past the app-tastic iPad.
Would you consider a ‘fixed’ BlackBerry PlayBook? Or is it too little too late?